Child of the Goddess
by Sea of Hazel
Summary: Half-Goddess, half-Saiya-jin, Usagi is Vegeta's most powerful weapon-- but he hadn't counted on the deaths he had caused in obtaining her having a price. And what effect will having to protect such a feisty warrior have on Mirai Trunks? MTU
1. Chapter I: Death of a Goddess

Sea of Hazel   
  


_Child of the Goddess_  
Chapter I: Death of a Goddess  


  
  
Part I: Lunaria  
  
  
They entered the room in silence. Crimson blood dripped from their large sinew   
bodies, yet it was not their own. They parted. A smaller man stepped forward towards the dais, brown tail   
curving around his waist, colbalt hair, black as his eyes, seeming to defy gravify.  
"Good evening, your majesty," he mock bowed, "lovely day, is it not?"  
The woman upon the throne remained emotionless, her ever regal figure never faultering.   
He smirked.  
"I did not wish to be rude when i met the fabled Goddess of the Moon, so i come bearing gifts..."  
The two men stepped forward, each droping their burden before her. The queen's violet eyes flashed  
momentarily as the bodies hit the marble tile with sickening thud, blood smeared across their paled faces   
and drenching their short pleated uniforms red. Even in death they were hauntingly beautiful.   
"Athena," he gestured with a nod of his head towards the woman with short blue hair at his feet, "She   
was surprisingly easy to kill. I would have expected more from the queen of Mercury."   
His gaze shifted to the woman laying motionless beside the first, thick ebony tresses cloaking her body.   
"Ahh, and Aries, queen of Mars... she was a feisty one, but her mouth turned out to be quicker than her feet."  
He lightly kicked the next woman onto her back, brown hair falling around her shoulders in soft waves.  
"Hera. Queen of Jupiter. She was quite strong actually, almost got a punch in on Nappa here."  
He then strolled over to the last of the fallen women, bending to push a strand of golden hair from   
her ashen face.  
"And of course Aphrodite, queen of Venus. She is beautiful isn't she. Lasted longer than any of them...   
managed to scratch Radditz even." he chuckled as he continued, "And you know... she begged for your life."  
Queen Serenity remained silent through the cruel display, her painstricken eyes rivited to the bloody  
remains of her dearest friends. When she spoke, it held no anger, only sadness and regret.  
"You have destroyed my planet, murdered my gaurdians, my people, wrecked havoc and chaos on   
our solar system... what more do you want? If it is my life you seek, i would have given it freely in   
return for peace."  
He laughed, throwing his head back as he did.  
"Your life? Oh, i will have that anyways... it is something else that i seek. Something that is rightfully ours."  
The queen stood, anger flaring into her ethreal features.  
"He has paid his dept with his life... we owe nothing more to you. Please, Prince of Vegetasei, leave   
what is left of my kingdom in peace."  
He only smirked.  
"A goddess who gave up her right in order to be with her beloved... such a touching story. Too bad he had to die.   
And to think, if you had stayed away from him... he would still be alive   
today." he paused to watch her eyes brim with tears, before continuing on the obviously painfull subject.  
"It was a shame to loose such a valuble first class warrior, but he was a traitor, and i saw to it that he died   
a traitors death. Before the fatal blow he begged for your life, much like the way Aphrodite   
had done, but you still have what is ours... what he owes to my planet. Give me the child."  
"Never. She is not yours. He left your planet long ago, he was no longer a Saiya-jin."  
"He will always be a Saiya-jin. It is in his blood. The child... she has a tail, does she not?"  
The queen was silent.  
"So she does then. That marks her as a Saiya-jin... and she will be trained as one. Radditz, find her."  
"No!" Selene screamed as Radditz began scanning the perimeters for her daughter's ki.  
"Got it."  
He vanished, returning seconds later with an infant wrapped in silver cloth as her birthright, a   
cresent moon, glowed softly on her forehead.   
"Serenity..."  
Selene fell to her knees in prayer, tears streaming down her paled cheeks as she began to chant in   
ancient Lunarian. The soft silver light eminating from her symbol engulfed her body and expanded, taking   
the men off gaurd as it tore through the palace and the remains of the fallen city. The smoke cleared   
and the sheilds they had created with their ki faded, leaving silence in its wake.   
"DAMMIT! The litle whore killed herself!"  
Serenity, startled out of her peaceful slumber by the bellow of the man beside her, began to cry,   
adding to Vegeta's already soured mood.  
"Nappa, be quiet! And shut that brat up! Get in the pod... we're going home."  
They turned and left the emmense throne room, once belonging to the most beautiful empire in the   
universe, now only crumbling ruins, with the child of a goddess in their arms.  
  
  
  
Part II: Vegetasei  
  
"SHUT THAT BRAT UP!"  
The roar echoed through the halls of the palace, shaking its inhabitants to the core. Yet the child only  
wailed louder. Vegeta growled. The prince who had ruthlessly killed millions, destroyed planets, and   
was feared by all, could not even quiet an infant. For two days the small princess had cried, leaving   
him with little sleep and a pounding headache. But he dared not touch the thing- even his servents and   
maids could do nothing to quiet her. He peered down at her tiny fragile body, her small hands balled into   
fists as she kicked at the blanket, silver tail wrapped tightly around her waist, and for the first time   
in his life he had absolutly no idea what to do. He sighed, rolling his eyes heavenward as he mumbled a few   
choice words under his breath and picked up the child, holding her at arms length.  
"KUSO! How the HELL do you hold these things?!"  
The empty room did little to answer his question. He growled and, remembering how a maid had held her   
as she was fed, brought the child to his chest and layed her in his broad arms, slowing rocking her back and   
forth with a gentlness he didn't know he posessed. Her crying ceased almost immediatly as she opened her   
large cerulean eyes to peer up at him, smiling a toothless smile that positivly reeked of innocence. He nearly   
gaged, but couldn't help but smile wryly at the irony of it. Who would have thought he would be holding   
such an innocent? She giggled as he reached for her bottle, uncertainly putting it into her mouth. She accepted   
it eagerly, untangling her fingers from his attaire to wrap around his thumb. And despite his resolution to hate   
the child of his enemy, he smiled down at her, softly brushing a few strands of silver hair from her face.  
"Your highness, you called?"  
The voice of a maid startled him out of his thoughts and he turned to her, plastering a look of anger back   
onto his face.  
"Yes. Take this brat and do... whatever the hell it is you women do with these things."  
She quickly took the child from his arms length grasp, who promptly began to wail again. Vegeta scowled.  
"My god, woman! Can you do nothing right?!" he screamed at the cowering maid as he grabbed   
the baby and began to gently rock her without a second thought.  
"Now get out of my site before i blast you into the next dimension!"  
She left the room without hesitance. Vegeta sighed, glancing back at the giggling princess in his arms.  
"Little brat..."   
The smirk he wore defied his harsh statement. Serenity cooed as he retired to his bedroom, the child never   
leaving his protective embrace.  
  
  
The effect of the supposed deaths of the goddess Selene and her child were great. The last of the   
Lunarians, the few who had survived the brutal attack, soon died off without the power of the Ginzuishou   
to support them, the memory of the once great race dieing along with them. To many it was a message   
from God, punishing them for keeping one of his goddesses on the mortal plains... to others, it signified the   
begining of a war. But one thing was clear to all: the universe's light of hope was gone, and with   
it, it's salvation. Serenity, who had not been killed as was thought, was given the name Usagi as a   
form of protection. None knew of the half-goddess, half-Saiya-jin's survival, and Vegeta saw to it that   
it remained this way. When Frieza had assigned him the task of destroying his long-time rival for power, the Moon   
Kingdom that had resided in a different dimension, he had taken the job with alternate intentions. The   
princess, a hybrid of the two most powerful races in the universe, would be a vital asset for ensuring his victory   
against the attack he would soon wage on Frieza.   
Vegeta had wasted no time in personally training the young princess to be the perfect warrior, molding   
her tremendous amount of power, even more then he had origionally expected, into the perfect weapon.   
But, much against the prince's attempts to keep the child's gentle and caring nature from affecting him, he   
soon found himself developing an almost paternal instict for her. If anyone dared to touch one golden strand   
of hair on her little head, they would quickly find themselves wishing they had never been born. A single   
crude comment in the small girl's direction had nearly cost a guard his life, but Usagi, though raised on a   
planet where violence and war reigned, had never lost her innocence and pure heart and the man escaped with   
little more then soiled pants.   
Of course, he was of a proud race, and as such, pride permitted him from showing anything other then   
obligation towards her. But she understood. He was often harsh with her, forcing her train until she could no   
longer stand on her own two feet, but never once did she complain. Though a mere child, and a girl no less, she   
took it all with her head held high and her eyes unwavering. He was quite proud of her, she was indeed a   
Saiya-jin. And with the blood of a goddess running through her veins, her ki would be virtually undetectable,   
thereby keeping her well out of Frieza's radar and increasing their chances of defeating him.  
  
Vegeta smirked. Revenge would be sweet.  
  
  
  
End of Chapter I  
  
This is my first sm/dbz crossover so i am going to appologize ahead of time if   
some things are wrong (there are things that will have to be changed in order to fit the story). Here are the   
ages, though they will be repeated in Chapter II (of course, this only applys to later chapters):   
  
Vegeta: 41  
Serenity: 16   
Trunks: 18  
Gohan: 19  
Goku: 40  
  
As for how often chapters will be released, that all depends on you (and if i   
have them writen up already). I'll   
say that new chapters will be added when i get a fair amount of reveiws... so be   
sure to do so if you want to   
see the next chapter!  



	2. Chapter II: Angel of War

Sea of Hazel  
  
  


_Child of the Goddess_  
Chapter II: Angel of War

  
  
Part I: Earth  
  
He stood atop a cliff, looking down over the crashing waves below. It was quiet there, peaceful, a place where   
there would be no demons to battle but his own. Here, he was alone.   
A soft breeze shifted through his hair, sending lilac bangs over deep saphire eyes, yet he made no move to push them away.   
Unsheathing his sword, he took a fighting stance, jabbing it into some imaginary being. The sharp blade swung with deadly   
percision, as if nothing more than an extension of it's owner. He paused. Would his father be proud?   
His mother had told him many stories of Vegeta, the prince of Vegetasei, his father. Would he be proud to call him his son?   
He had left his home, left the future, to change what was to come. Goku would now be alive to fight, and the people of Earth   
would no longer be doomed to the world where he had been raised, a world where war and choas reigned. But, would his father   
be proud?   
The blade continued.  
  
It was only when he heard the distant call of his future mother informing him that dinner was ready did he halt his training,   
his muscles sore but his mind clear. He found training to be theraputic, relieving all the built up tension that never seemed   
to dissapate entirely from his body. He wanted to tell Bulma that she was his mother, to have her hold him as she used to, but   
he could not... at least until he was sure the time was right. But Gods, he missed her.  
Another call interupted his thoughts and he quickly shook them from his mind, sliding his long gleaming sword back into its   
holster as he levitated himself off the ground and flew towards home. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply the sent the was   
uniquely Earth's.   
The burning orange of the sunset encased his body, highlighting his skin a golden bronze and his hair a deep violet.   
His eyes suddenly flew open, his senses on edge, as a familiar sensation raced through his body.   
He could feel it. Power.   
He paused in mid flight, reaching out with his own ki to locate it. Knitting his brows together in concentration, he felt   
further into the depths of the forest and into the horizon.   
In his mind's eye he envisioned three men, two of which pure evil, the third only partially. He turned, flying at top speed   
towards them, knowing the rest of Earth's special forces were already on their way.   
  
Usagi watched with unhindered curiousity as clouds of dirt rose and fell with each step, the dust settling on the tops of her   
white boots. Green grass blew in soft waves at their feet as large trees towered and swayed above them, seeming to kiss the   
beautiful crimson sky. Earth.   
She had heard many stories of the maginificent planet of deep blues and rich greens, and the weak humans who resided on it.   
Vegeta had been reluctant to allow her to come with him on Freiza's latest assignment, but after much begging and pleading   
he had finally agreed, under the condition, however, that she remain out of his way.   
It was her first time to leave the confinements of the palace grounds. She had been training much of her life, always working   
to improve her techniches under the guidence of her teachers, Vegeta, Nappa, and Radditz. Day in and day out she would train,   
often until she collapsed,but it was all for him. She really had never cared much for fighting, never loved it as Vegeta had. No,   
it was him she loved. He was a father to her, and though he would never admit it, he recipricated completely. He had even confided in  
her on a few, however rare, occasions, once even explaining to her the true reason for his anger.   
She was five when he told her, quite young by Saiya-jin standards yet old enough to understand his hate. She had asked him why   
he was so angry, and for once, instead of reprimanding her about her training or her stupid questions, he had given her an answer.   
Frieza had killed his father.   
It was only later when she truly understood the complete meaning behind the simple words. He had sided with Frieza, taking each   
assignment given to him, however brutal and cruel. He destroyed planets and battled warriors of all races to become stronger,   
so that in the end he could defeat Freiza.   
Since then she had trained only for him, continued even when her body protested with every bruised muscule and broken bone.   
She would fight beside him, and he would be free of the demons that drove him.  
"Usa, keep your end of the bargain." his voice interupted her thoughts.  
She nodded, only now having sensed the beings heading towards them at great speeds.   
There were six, yet only three would be strong enough to cause them any delay. It would be the first real fight she had witnessed,   
and although she had never really enjoyed fighting, the Saiya-jin blood coursing through her veins thought otherwise as her body   
uncontiously tensed in preparation for battle, her tail curling tighter around her waist in anticipation.  
  
They landed in silent determination, each taking a fighting stance. There were four, only three of which having ki above human   
level, making them greatly outnumbered by their well-trained six. Trunks's eyes roamed over the three men, taking careful   
consideration to detail. The two shorter ones, he noted, had tails, marking them unmistakably as Saiya-jins. The third was of a   
different race, but still strong enough to match his enormous size. Yet the strongest by far was, oddly enough, the shortest of the   
three, one of the two Saiya-jins, and undoubtably the leader. His blue eyes flickered on him mometarily as an erie recognision crept   
over him, but the feeling vanished as quickly as it had come.   
His gaze then traveled to the fourth person, scanning him for any amount of ki that would be considered threatening, yet found none.   
He wore a dark hooded cape, cloaking his face and body, much unlike the thick armor the three beside him wore. Only cerulean eyes   
peered out from the otherwise concealing attaire, and he wondered momentarily what such a person was doing with a group of warriors.  
Goku was the first to break the silence.  
  
Usagi watched, concealed beneath her cloak, as the six men took their fighting stances before them, her excitment and curiousity   
growing with each passing moment. Her eyes scanned the men not fifty feet before her, pausing momentarily on the one with lilac   
hair. He was watching her, studying her, much as how she was doing them. He showed no emotions, yet she knew it was only a mask,   
a facade not unlike the one she had used so many times before. The man with raven black hair, remarkably like Vegeta's in it's   
gravity defience, spoke, gaining their attention.  
"Who are you?"   
She knew Vegeta was smirking.   
"My name's Nappa, and you better remember it for when you're beg'n for mercy!" Nappa laughed arrogantly as he stepped forward,   
gathering a ball of ki into the palms of his hands.   
The attack failed, seeming to go straight through him. Usagi scowled. The fool, he was underestimating them.  
"I'll give you one last chance to leave Earth, or you'll have to go through us." the man yelled across the clearing, feet planted   
firmly on the ground as if to back his statement. No one moved.  
"We gave you a chance. Remember that." he said quietly, almost regretfully, as he fell into a fighting stance.   
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that, the weaker falling under Nappa and Radditz's attacks, the stronger   
continuing with all they had. They were fairing quite well actually, much more then she had origionally expected, but they were   
neither gaining nor loosing ground.   
Her gaze uncontiously followed the youngest of the warriors, watching intensly his every move. Sweat beaded off his muscular   
body, his eye's those of determination. Even with the eyesite of a Saiya-jin she was barely able to keep up with him. Her head   
tilted slightly to one side, her finely arched brows creasing in confusion. Why fight so hard? He knew that they would loose, so   
why continue?   
Because their hearts were pure, her mind answered, and they would protect their planet and people till the end.   
She admired them for that.  
Nappa screamed and gathered another orb of ki into his large hands, preparing to launch it at the man she had watched so intensly,   
who was momentarily busy with Radditz. Usagi reacted on impulse, allowing her heart, her soul, to guide her as she flew with a   
speed not even Vegeta could rival to block the attack.   
She had to save him, her mind told her, she had to save him.   
  
"USAGI!"  
Trunks' concentration was momentarily lost as the silent leader of the group screamed, a look of anger and fear crossing his   
once emotionless face. But he never noticed the attack that had been thrown at him from behind, or Radditz quickly vanishing out   
of its path. He turned just as the cloaked man flew towards him from his left, boots slidding into the earth until he had stoped   
directly in the path of the blast. Long, slender arms reached out from under the midnight blue cover, and with an explosion of   
light the attack was blocked. Trunks slowly lowered his arm from its protective position in front of his face, lavender hair   
settling back over his eyes as the intense wind died and the dust settled. The figure turned, breathing heavily, her cerulean   
eyes immediatly coming to rest on his saffire. He stared at the figure before him in unmasked confusion, and Usagi, as if   
having read his mind, removed the hood of the cloak. Seemingly endless waves of golden tresses fell now unrestrained to her   
ankles, small buns on either side of her head. Beneath the cloak she wore blue and white armor, much like that of her leader's   
aside from the knee-length white boots. Even in armor it was obvious she was of a slight frame, her body petite yet flawless.   
She stared at him through cerulean eyes, now seeming even deeper, her full pink lips parted slightly and her cheeks rosey from   
the exert of power she had displayed moments before. Simply stated, she was beautiful.   
"Who are you?" Trunks, being the first to find his voice, asked as he stared at the woman who had just saved him from her own ally.  
She crossed the few remaining feet between as if in a trance until she stood close enough for him to smell her soft vinilla scent,   
her dulled eyes never leaving the deapths of his. But what struck him odd most was not her orbs of ocean blue or strange actions,   
but the cresent moon on her forehead, glowing a steady gold. She seemed almost ageless, immortal, in her ethreal features, as her   
fingers reached up to gently trail a path down his cheek.  
"_Cest' centeri emir. Ammo jinete, Trunks..._"  
Even with Saiya-jin hearing he had to strain to hear her soft voice, yet the language was lost on him. Her legs suddenly began   
to give way, her body collasping beneath her as she fell into unconsiousness, the birthmark fading from her forehead. His strong   
arms quickly wrapped around her slender waist, holding her to him with a gentleness he had never known.   
"Let her go." Vegeta growled, his ki rising considerably.   
It wasn't a request.   
The Saiya-jin glared at him, challenging him to disobey. Trunks only glared back with an equal icyness as Piccolo spoke from   
behind them, grasping his wounded arm as he struggled to stand.  
"That language... she's a--"  
"She is a Lunarian."  
All eyes turned towards the feminine voice, meeting the crimson gaze of a tall woman clad in a short pleaded black and white   
uniform, a long staff in one hand. Pine-green hair cascaded down her back, her skin tanned and exotic, as she stared at them   
with a look of infinate wisdom, making her seem much older then the mere twenty-three that she had at fist glance appeared to be.  
"A Lunarian? That can't be... they died off years ago." Piccolo continued, green brows creasing.  
"She is a Lunarian, that i can assure you. And she is the last." her gaze shifted purposly to Vegeta. He only grunted in   
response.  
"But how is this possible?"  
"I cannot continue until i have warned you of the consequences. In hearing this information, you will be putting your lives   
at risk, and excepting that she--" she motioned with her staff to the girl in Trunks' arms,"--will then become your   
responsiblity. Do not look upon this lightly, your decision could mean the difference between life and death for millions.   
Remember, there is no turning back once i have begun. All those who wish to leave, please do so now."   
"Hmp. Stupid woman, that's my brat... i stay."  
Vegeta stepped forward, Nappa and Radditz following in suit.   
Trunks watched with furrowed brows as his allies stepped forward as well, embracing this woman's words without hesitation. How   
could they trust her- a stranger? For all they knew she could be in league with the men they had just battled. After all, they   
were just as unknown to him as she. But as his gaze flickered between the girl in his arms and the dark visage of the woman, he   
knew without question that what she spoke would be of no deciet nor lies.  
"If it involves the people of Earth, then i guesss i have no choice."   
"I'm with my dad." Gohan said as he stepped in line beside his father.  
Krillin and Yamcha pulled themselves up from the ground.  
"Well, if Goku's in... so am i."  
"Me too."  
"I will stay as well."  
Trunks glanced down at the woman in his embrace, her chest slowly raising and falling in tune with her rythmatic breathing.   
To pledge his life to her, to this girl he knew nothing about, would mean he would never be able to return to the future, to   
his home. He would be forced to live out the remainder of his life in the past. And if this girl was as important as they   
were being lead to believe, then he   
would have entered yet another war.   
He sighed, gathering the woman into his arms.  
"I stay."  
Pluto's crimson lips curved into a soft smile. They would keep their word.  
"Very well then. Listen well, for i do not know if we shall meet again. I am known as the Guardian of Time, Sailor Pluto. I   
am the soul keeper of the time stream, yet i belong to the court of the Moon Kingdom under the queen, Selene, and her daughter,   
Serenity." She paused, and it was an infinite saddness that passed through her vermilion eyes. "Selene was a goddess who had   
fallen in love with a mortal Saiya-jin, and for him she gave up her title and immortality, becoming queen and protector of our   
solar system. Her lover, unfortunatly, was killed before their only child was born. Not long after, a war erupted and Selene   
and her court, the Sailor senshi and queens of their own respective planets, were also killed, along with their heirs. And yet--"   
her peircing red gaze shifted to Vegeta, "--the child of Selene survived. Princess Serenity is a hybred of goddess and Saiya-jin,   
and as such will be the most powerfull being the universewill ever know. Without her, all would be lost. Within her lies the   
Ginzuishou, a crystal of unfathomable power, used to rival evil and chaos. Only she can weild it now that Selene is gone. But   
there are always conseqences. The crystal is not of the mortal plains. It is, like the heavens, eternal, and binds itself to   
whom it chooses... Serenity is purity in its simplest form, the crystal has already chosen her. But because she is only half   
goddess, she will not be immortal, yet her soul will. As long as chaos exists, she will be reborn over and over again for the   
rest of eternity, never resting, and never joining her mother in the heavens. She is the eternal protector of the cosmos...   
and she is now in your care."  
Tears welled up in the eternal senshi's eyes as she stared lovingly at the peaceful form her mistress as all eyes turned in   
wonder towards the girl in Trunk's arms.  
"Please take good care of my princess, she is very important to me, as she soon will be to all of you. When she wakes, do not   
tell her of our meeting, she will learn of this in time."   
Sailor Pluto smiled, yet it held neither warmth nor coldness. Stepping backwards into a portal that seemed to have no concept   
of space and time, the mist shrouded her body until no proof of the last witness to the fall of the Moon Kingdom remained.  
  
  
  
End of Part 02  
  
  
Here are the ages again:  
  
Vegeta: 41  
Serenity: 16   
Mirai Trunks: 18  
Gohan: 19  
Goku: 40  
  
Sorry this took so long to get out... i've been having some problems with the   
computer i'm typing this on.   
Thank you to all who reviewed!  
  
~Sea of Hazel 


	3. Chapter III: Protection of a Warrior

Sea of Hazel   
  
  


_Child of the Goddess_  
Chapter III: Protection of a Warrior

  
  
  
Beneath the cover of darkness she fled, senses on edge despite her weakened state. She pumped her legs harder, faster; sweat   
matting golden bangs to her forehead just beneath the hooded cloak. Usagi cursed. Her first assignment and she gets captured by the enemy.   
And whats worse, she didn't even have the heart to kill them while they slept, just beyond the walls of the room she had awoken in. Yet for the life   
of her she could not remember how she came to be in that unfamiliar room, weak and powerless and alone.  
But one thing was for sure. She had been captured by the enemy. And she had failed Vegeta.   
'Weakling.' she cursed herself, 'You're a damn weakling.'  
She ran faster, determined to somehow wash away the shame with the burning of her tired muscles. Her weakened body, however, soon began   
to protest and she reluctantly gave in, coming to rest at the edge of a small pond. She collasped to her knees, breath ragged as she stared into   
the placid water at her own reflection. Where was Vegeta? Had something happened to him? No, of course nothing had happened to him-- he was   
Vegeta, Prince of Vegetasei, and the strongest man she had ever known. But then, why could she not find his ki? Was she so weak that her senses   
were also depleted? She sighed, her pulse begining to slow. She was such a fool, and between her three candid mentors, she'd never live this down.  
"Did you really think you'd get far?"  
She gasped, spining to face the voice behind her. A figure leaned impassively against a nearby tree draped in shadows, arms crossed as he   
peered at her through a mildly curious sapphire gaze. She mentally cursed. What was the matter with her? She should have felt his pressence   
from a mile away.   
"What are you doing out here anyway?" He spoke again, but she opted for silence, glaring her hatred towards the man who dared follow her.   
Her eyes shifted to the sword handle protruding from behind his broad shoulder. Noticing this, he stepped forward and she stood, falling into a   
fighting stance.  
"I'm not going to hurt you. What kind of fight would that be? You can barely stand."  
She scowled, knowing the statement was all too true, but as she opened her mouth for a vicious retort, her vision blurred and her knees gave out,   
sending her into the murky water. She coughed at the liguid invading her lungs, her chest burning with the lack of oxygen as she sank further into the   
grimy deep. She almost had to laugh at herself... it was such a stupid way for a trained warrior to die. Though trained as she may be, she knew nothing   
of swimming-- Vegetasei wasn't renown for it's water, after all. Just as her consiousness began to ebb away, strong arms encased her from behind,   
pulling her back to life. She gasped for air, coughing out the vile liguid as she clutched the man's soaken shirt like a life perserver.   
Trunks heaved a sigh of utter annoyance, raking a hand through drenched lilac hair as she coughed into his chest. He couldn't believe he was   
out sauntering around in the middle of nowhere at two in the morning. He had better things to do then go after some strange woman to whom he   
had just pledged his life not twenty-four hours ago. Sighing, he glanced down at the girl in his arms as her breathing calmed, absently brushing a few   
matted bangs from her paled face. She really was more trouble then she was worth.   
Usagi buried herself further into the warmth of his chest, her pale fingers clutching his shoulders as the sodden cloak began to weigh her down   
further into the already neck-high water. Her eyes flickered up to his dark visage beneath lowered lashes, watching sheepishly as his frown deepened   
with every drop of water that rolled languidly down his face. He really was quite handsom, she absently realized, noticing his uncommon shade   
of lilac hair, drenched though it was.   
Her eyes lowered to his broad chest as she let out a shaky breath.  
"Thank you." she said almost inaudiably in a voice that sounded more like an angel's then a half-drowned blond bombshell, "For saving my life."  
He didn't answer, only gathered her in his arms as they levitated from the chilly water and flew through the black sky. She didin't protest, feeling   
her heavy eyelids drooping. She vaquely realized that Earth seemed to have a clearer sky than that of her home planet, a much more peaceful,  
brighter star-ladden sky.   
Usagi shivered against the cold of the wind and he slowed, tightening his warm embrace.  
"Why did you do it? Save my life, i mean." Curiousity got the best of her as her gaze traveled to his higlighted face, wondering in all truthfulness   
why he hadn't just left her there to die.  
He returned her gaze. "I made a promise. I keep my promises."  
It didn't help that his limbs were threatened to be torn one by one from his bloody and mangled body, of course, but he had made a   
promise to protect this girl and he intended to keep it. Usagi left the subject at that and the rest of the trip was made in silence, her head falling to   
his chest sometime during the flight as she gave in to slumber.   
  
Trunks leaned against the frame of the doorway, watching the woman who slept with unmasked curiosity. She was one of stealth, stamina, and   
power; and yet she looked for all the world as if she were no more than a mere girl laying in that bed, slender fingers loosely clutching the silk pillows.   
Golden tresses fell out in waves over the side of the large canopy bed, only now having dried with the first light of dawn.   
She had been soaked to the bone when they first arrvied back at his future mother's home, and he, despite the blush that even now stained his cheeks   
to think of it, had removed her from the sopping clothes and slipped a borrowed gown on it its place. It had been dark however, and he had seen nothing,   
but the feel of her soft skin was not something one might easily forget.  
"Stay the hell away from her."  
Caught off guard but not willing to admit it, he turned slowly, his gaze impassive and his voice holding no emotion.  
"She almost drowned trying to escape. Maybe if you watched her more carefully, i wouldn't have to."  
Vegeta's mouth twitched.   
His face reddend.   
His eyes bulged.   
_No one_ told him how to raise his brat.  
"How dare you speak to me that way, you insulant little Earthling!" His voice was low and dangerous, a growl beneath his harsh breath.   
However, much to his own surprise, it was only when Trunks had the gall to smirk that he calmed, a deep sense of recognition overpowering   
his fury. He then turned partially, calling over his broad shoulder to the sleeping woman upon the bed.  
"Usa. Time to go."  
Long sooty eyelashes fluttered against her ivory skin as she awoke, pulling the sheets aside as she rose to gather her armor from the chair beside her bed.   
Her voice was strong when she spoke, despite her lack of sleep.  
"Hai. I'll be ready."  
Vegeta nodded and, after giving one last glare towards Trunks, dissapeared down the long hallway. Trunks watched him as he dissapeared into the blackness,   
silently wondering at the man's quick change in attitude. He would have sworn by the way he had looked at him that his body would be reduced to a bloody and   
mangled pulp, but as if on second thought, he had returned the smirk and left without another word. These people were certainly odd- but then, could he really   
find anything more unusual than normal in them when he had been living with Goku for a month? Usagi's steely voice interupted his thoughts before he had the   
chance to agree with himself.  
"Get out," she said from behind him, glaring defiantly beneath finely arched brows as she dared him to do otherwise.  
He only vaguely realized that the apple didn't fall far from the tree in this case as he met her unwavering gaze with an equal icyness.   
"As you wish, Princess."   
Her glare deepend with his mockery even though, he mused, it wasn't at all far from the truth. Smirking in a way that reminded her all too much of her own Vegeta-sama,   
he turned and the only sound made as he left the room was the slight squeak of the door's hinges as it closed softly behind him.  
  
Usagi smiled as she adjusted her armor, pleased to see that it still fit like a second skin even after she had been forced into that frilly, loose-fitting Earth gown.   
And, she thought with a scowl, she would make it a point to find out exactly who had the nerve to undress her. In her mind's eye an image of a man with lilac   
hair stood out, his sapphire eyes mocking yet void of emotion. Her scowl deepend. It better not have been him.  
"Nappa, Radditz," Vegeta began from beside her, his arms crossed in a stance that had become very familiar to her over the years, "We still have an assignment to   
do. Survey the land, kill any who stand in your way. Report back to me tonight, and then we'll deal with these pathetic Earthlings." His lips curved upwords even as he spoke.  
Nappa and Radditz smiled viciously as they took off into the oddly colored sky without so much as a by-your-leave; Vegeta, however, payed no notice.   
Thick brows drawn together in silent fury, he turned to the girl at his side.  
"Usagi," she winced as he used her full name, growling it as though it were a curse, "What the hell did you think you were doing! I told you not to interfere!   
Now look what you've done. Supid girl." He turned away in disgust, fixating his intense gaze at the towering mansion he wished he could just destroy and be done with.  
"I don't know! I don't know why i did it! I don't even remember what happened!" She felt on the verge of tears as she pleaded for him to understand, to forgive her, to not   
feel so dissapointed in her. But she would not cry, she couldn't. Crying was for the weak.  
Her gaze fell to the dirt at her feet. "Vegeta-sama... please forgive me."  
Vegeta's cobalt gaze shifted to her as she began to fidget with her long golden hair now loosely tied in a braid, a frown still marring his face yet his eyes softening   
under thick creased brows. Damn woman.  
"Go find something useful to do, Brat. I have to contact Frieza."  
She smiled, having sensed his change in attitude. He never really remained angry with her for long, but during those seemingly endless moments when he was,   
she felt worse than if he had physically struck her. This time was no different, and as she expelled the air she had unkowningly been holding in a sigh of relief,   
he levated from the ground and flew off towards the pod's landing site. She smiled up into the orange and yellow sky, finding that she rather liked this small   
planet of more than just blues and greens. A bright sphere mounted itself upon the horizon, and she kneeled, gloved fingers reaching out to gently stroke the petals   
of a lone, vibrantly colored flower. She drew her hand back to her chest with a gasp as a drop of blood seeped through the small hole in the material, staring at the   
thorns in confusion.  
"It's a rose."  
She stood and faced the deep monotone voice. Although they had exchanged few words, she knew without question that sapphire eyes would be there to greet   
her when she turned around.  
"Is this what the men of Earth do? Stalk their women?"  
It was as she crossed her arms over her armored chest that he noticed the tail curving tighting around her waist, tip flicking in aggitation. She was a Saiya-jin.   
But a white tail? Although his knowledge of the Saiya-jin culture and their appearance was limited, it was something he himself had never heard of. His eyes then   
shifted to the spot of red at the tip of her finger, seeming out of place on the immaculate whiteness of her attire.  
"You're bleeding," he said, taking her hand in his and bringing the injured finger to his mouth, gently wiping the spot clean with his tounge. She pulled away   
from his grasp, wide cerulean eyes staring at him in wonder and confusion. Her finger felt cold without the warmth of his mouth.   
She shuddered involuntarily, but managed to plaster a scowl opon her lips.  
"Why are you trying to protect me? I'm not weak. I do not need your protection."  
She had so much pride, almost to the point of arrogance, this little slip of a girl. Trunks' lips curved into a smile, and then a laugh. He vaguely wondered when   
the last time he had laughed was.  
"Why are you laughing?" Her indignant voice only worsened the situation.  
His delight came to an abrupt halt, however, when her small fist collided with his cheek. Having been a warrior for the majority of his life and had trained   
as such, he didn't move to touch his throbbing face, but the surprise was there as his eyes returned to the woman before him. She raised her chin higher,   
staring up at him in defiance.   
"Fight me."  
"What?"  
"Stand up and fight me. I will not be insulted." And as if to prove her point, she fell into a fighting stance, waiting for him to do the same.  
He couldn't believe this girl. She saves him from her own ally one day, and wants to fight him the next. In the few hours he had known her he had come to   
realize that her mood hung on a dime and she was about as predictable as the wind. She was indeed like no woman he had ever met before.  
"Alright, i'll fight you. On one condition," she looked at him with unmasked skepticisim, "If i win, you agree to stop being so damn stubborn and let me protect   
you." At her look of abhorrence and indignity he continued, a smirk playing at his lips, "Trust me, i don't like it any more than you do."   
She finally smiled, and although it held little more than loathing he absently found that she was still beautiful.  
"Fine. But if i win, i will hear and see no more of you. Deal?"  
"Deal."  
He fell into a similar fighting stance, the smirk never leaving his face even as she came at him. They began slowly, testing eachother's limits, searching out   
strengths and weaknesses in their opponent. She swung her leg in a high kick and he blocked, returning the strike with a punch that she easily dodged.   
To all it would seem as though they were of equals; she had the agility, he had the strength, and as they grew faster in their manuvers it appeared their speed   
was well matched. To the average eye they soon became but a blur, soaring into the heavens even as they continued in their attacks.  
"Dammit," Trunks hissed as she dissapeared, his eyes skimming the horizon for her familiar form. He turned to her just as she appeared, raising her clapsed hands   
high above her head and sending them down upon his shoulder. He grunted as the force of it sent him crashing into the earth, cracking the ground beneath him.   
She materialized beside him, breath slightly ragged and cheeks flushed with the excitment of battle.  
"How did you know where i was?"  
He smirked, before tackling her with a speed she had only found in Vegeta and pinning her beneath him among the tall grass. She stared up at him in surprise,   
his equally labored breath warm against her lips. A blush graced her cheeks as she realized just how close they were, his body along the length of hers, his nose   
grazing her nose, his lips mere inches above her own. Her eyes traced his well-chisled features, following his bronze skin along his full, parted lips up to his cheekbones  
and his straight, strong nose. She paused in her admiring when she reached his eyes, feeling rivited to them; an deep blue ocean beneath the starless night. They held her there,   
entranced her both with their mystery and intensity. Lilac bangs fell over them, making her wish her wrist wasn't being held to the ground by his strong hands so that she   
may push them back and revel in its softness. He smelled of sweat and rain and something else she couldn't place, but it made her stomach twist in a pleasure foreign   
to her mind as she inhaled it. She briefly wondered if his kiss was as impassioned as his eyes, or as strong as the large hands that so easily covered her own.  
"Your smell," he said in a voice more husky than usual, sending shivers through her forgotten limbs.  
"Ex-excuse me?" she stammered, her brows creasing in utter confusion.  
He smiled. "I knew where you were because of your smell. I recognised it."  
"Oh," she offered pathetically, her blush becoming more apparent. "So, um, who won?"  
"I did."  
Her blush quickly faded into an icy glare as she struggled to free her hands. "You are the most presumptuous man i've ever met!"  
He laughed, unaffected by her insult as she continued to fight against his overpowering strength. He vaguely wondered why he didn't let her go, as she so   
obviously wanted to be free of him. But he wasn't ready to release her, not yet. Not when he could feel her every curve pressed so intimately against him. Memories   
of her unclothed skin against his fingers came to him in vivid detail, and the intensity of his gaze on her flawless countenance heightened. Usagi turned away from him in   
mute anger, her fists clenched tightly beneath his unrelenting grasp but she no longer struggled. Breathing out in a frustrated sigh, she blushed lightly as her chest was   
restricted by his more powerful one. Her blush steadily grew as she realized she could feel every muscled contour of his body, every breath he took pressing himself   
further against her, his heartbeat pumping rythmaticly against her breast, and she despretly hoped he wasn't experiencing her body in the same graphic detail.   
"We can be here all day, Princess. Just tell me what i want to hear, and i'll let you go."  
She scowled, turning flashing eyes to the man whose face was close enough for her to feel his warm breath against her lips. Her frown softened as a thought struck her,   
and she smiled seductively, having every intention of gaining the upper hand in this fight.  
"Does my tormentor have a name?" she breathed, turning the full effect of fathomless cerulean eyes on him. He cocked an eyebrow, suddenly wary of this woman-warrior.   
He knew from experience that women were a breed that could not be trusted, especially one as intelligent and dangerous as this.  
"Trunks," he said simply, before adding as an afterthought, "You?"   
He hadn't realized until then that he only knew her by "Serenity," the name Sailor Pluto had addressed her with. But the Saiya-jin he had crossed   
paths with earlier that morning had called her "Usa." What was that name short for? And why was he suddenly so despret to know?  
She smirked, something he had seen on the face of the man who guarded her so fiercly more often then not, and gathered ki into the palms of her encased hands   
before he had the chance to react.  
"Dammit!" He grunted as he lept back, lending his furious attention to the young woman rather than his burning hands as she casually stood, dusting her armor and   
smiling smugly.  
"It's Usagi."   
And with that, she was gone.  
  
End of Part 03  
  
  



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